Analyte detection in physiological fluids, e.g. blood or blood derived products, is of ever increasing importance to today's society. Analyte detection assays find use in a variety of applications, including clinical laboratory testing, home testing, etc., where the results of such testing play a prominent role in diagnosis and management in a variety of disease conditions. Analytes of interest include glucose for diabetes management, cholesterol, and the like. In response to this growing importance of analyte detection, a variety of analyte detection protocols and devices for both clinical and home use have been developed.
One type of device used to detect and analyze blood samples are immunosensors. Immunosensors generally include a plurality of electrodes and chambers that are configured to receive and analyze a sample. The different chambers of the immunosensor serve different purposes. For example, a fill chamber of an immunosensor can be configured to receive a sample, a reaction chamber can be configured to react the sample with an antibody disposed in the immunosensor, and a detection chamber can be configured to detect the presence or concentration of a protein or antigen within the sample following the reaction with the sample and the antibody. The various components of the immunosensor can be fabricated by using, for example, a combination of substrates, plastics, laminates, and adhesives.
Conventional adhesives are used to bond materials like the substrates and the plastics together. This can be accomplished, for example, by coating the adhesive on the substrate, laminating the adhesive, and then bonding the laminated adhesive-substrate combination with the plastic layer. Conventional adhesives are generally hydrophobic so that they can maintain their bond in a wet environment. This, however, is a detriment to the flow of liquid because liquid flow can be impeded by the hydrophobic properties of the adhesive. Thus, it can often be difficult for blood samples to move between various chambers of an immunosensor. In particular, there can be a tendency for the sample to clot within the immunosensor, thereby blocking movement of the sample through the immunosensor. This can result in undesirable complications, errors, and delays in analyzing the sample.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to improve the flow of blood through an immunosensor, as well as improve the accuracy and speed of measurements taken with an immunosensor.